Your name: Leonard Martinez

Lesson Set Title: Early Civilization

Course: World History

Grade Level: 9th Grade

Abstract: Students will study the importance of the Fertile Crescent and the River Valleys
with its importance to early civilization, agriculture, cultivation, and migration. We will
dive into the geographical and historical significance of the river valleys and how such
connections relate to major civilizations in the surroundings areas. Students will use
evidence to argue if the contribution of the river valleys helped contribute to major
civilizations that sprouted and impacted our modern civilization today. Such correlation
will give the lesson major importance of how our civilization today still have ties to some of
the first civilizations established. This set will take place in the beginning of the year, right
after the lesson set of explaining why studying and understanding history is important.

Compelling Question: How did Ancient Mesopotamia impact how civilizations sprouted in
the Middle East to the rest of the world?

Supporting Questions:
1. How did geography become a major contributor to the survival and rapid growth of
Mesopotamia?
2. How did migration contribute to the growth of the river valley civilizationss?
3. What environments are necessary for agricultural civilizations to start?

AZ SS Standards:
 H1: The development of civilizations, societies, cultures, and innovations have
influenced history and continue to impact the modern world.
 H4: Patterns of social and political interactions have shaped people, places, and
events throughout history and continue to shape the modern world
 HS.G1.1 Use geographic data to explain and analyze relationships between locations
of place and regions.
o Key tools and representations such as maps, remotely sensed and other
images, tables, and graphs
 HS.G2.3 Evaluate the impact of human settlement on the environment and culture of
specific places and regions.
 HS.G3.1 Analyze the reciprocal nature of how historical events and the diffusion of
ideas, technologies, and cultural practices have
 influenced migration patterns and the distribution of human population.

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to:

  Map and locate the Fertile Crescent.
 Identify the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
 List the first domesticated animals.
 Analyze and describe the first ways and practices of cultivating crops.
 Identify the first inventions made for preserving seeds and planting.
 Analyze how geographical features made life in the Fertile Crescent possible and
successful.
 Describe the common elements of what it takes to make a civilization.
 Compare and contrasts the Fertile Crescent and The River Valleys.
 Identify and explain the advantages of Geography for the success of the Fertile
crescent.
 Explain the reasons for migration and its impacts.

Reference Books and Websites: (List of books, scholarly websites, etc. that you will use to
research the content of the lesson set)
 https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/se/Geography/Michigan%20Geographic
%20Alliance/Geography%20Resources/Lesson%20Plans%20by
%20Curriculum/Documents/River%20Valley%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf
 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:Fertile%20Crescent
 Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent (Looking Back) by John Malam
 https://www.steilacoom.k12.wa.us/cms/lib/WA01001786/Centricity/Domain/70/
Chapter%2001%20Ancient%20River%20Valley%20Civilizations.pdf
 https://arizona-asu-
primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/53hn25/TN_proquest1497967203
 https://arizona-asu-
primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/53hn25/TN_wj10.1111/1365-
2435.12760
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohXPx_XZ6Y
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspk2OPdazU

Scoring guide for the Overview Draft

Please note: Points are awarded for completion. Even if you receive full points, modifications
will still probably need to be made for the final version
Criteria Points Possible Points Awarded Comments
Abstract complete with 5 5
reasonable effort
Essential question 4 4
complete with reasonable
effort
Standards included (AZ 5 5
and ACCRS)
Objectives complete with 8 8
reasonable effort
Appropriate list of 3 3
books/websites included
Total 25 25 Good start. There
is some work
needed on refining
the content of the
unit (see above
comments)
For the next lesson set draft, revise this document and add to it.

DAY 1
Title of lesson: Intro to Civilizations; Fertile Crescent
Type of lesson: Discussion/Independent group research
Your Name: Leonard Martinez
Length of lesson: 50 minutes

Summary: Intro to the definition of the fertile crescent and civilizations will be presented.
Discussions will take place on the research learned on the independent packet. 15-minute
lecture will end class as a wrap up.

Objectives (these will be from the lesson set objectives in your Overview):

Students will be able to:

 Define Fertile Crescent
 Identify and map fertile crescent
 Map and identify crucial rivers
 Learn indigenous first plantation practices
 Identify the importance of the geography of the fertile crescent
 List domesticated animals
 Define Civilization(s)

AZ Social Studies Standards

 HS.G1.1 Use geographic data to explain and analyze relationships between locations to
place and regions.
o Key tools and representations such as maps, remotely sensed and other images,
tables, and graphs
 HS.G1.2 Use geospatial tools and related technologies to construct relevant geographic
data to explain spatial patterns and relationships.
o Key tools and representations such as Google Earth, story mapping, wayfaring
 apps, and other geospatial technologies
 HS.G2.3 Evaluate the impact of human settlement on the environment and culture of
specific places and regions
 HS.G2.4 Evaluate the use and sustainability of natural resources.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:
 Fertile Crescent/Civilization(s) PowerPoint (see appendix)
 Classroom timer
 Computer
 Google Classroom
 Smartboard
 Fertile Crescent Group Research Worksheet
o Flood, A. (2019). TGA Lesson Plan Geography of the Fertile Crescent. Retrieved 3
October 2019, from
https://www.tngeographicalliance.org/uploads/7/7/3/8/7738447/6grade_fertile
crescent.pdf
 YouTube: The Fertile Crescent
o YouTube. (2016). The Fertile Crescent [Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspk2OPdazU

Instructional Sequence:

1. Class Bell Ringer: “What do you see”

a. Have students write response on a half sheet of paper (name, date, period)
i. Participation points of 5pts
b. Give students 5 minutes to answer the question about what they see on the
board
c. Have students discuss what they see with their neighbor
i. During this time take roll
d. Once time is up, have an open discussion about they wrote about what they saw,
what their neighbor saw, etc.
i. Drive the discussion to look at key features on the map
1. Blue lines = Rivers
2. The shape of the shaded land
3. Surrounding blue shapes on each end = oceans
4. Rugged terrain at the top - mountains
5. Where it is located in the overall map
2. Tell student this is the Fertile Crescent
a. Present the topic
b. Present todays objectives
c. Explain briefly that this is where civilization and life started
d. Tell students to put everything down and pay full attention up to the smart
board
3. Play YouTube Video: fertile crescent (give students a visual)
a. Let video play for about 50 seconds, then pause
i. While pausing ask students what they are seeing, what they are hearing
ii. Pausing and having open discussion before playing again allows for
students to reflect what they are hearing and help the video slow down
and help student internalize everything
iii. Open discussion allows those who weren’t paying attention to do so and
hear what their peers have to say
b. Play, pause, discuss, play pause… till video is over
c. Then have students get in teams of 3 according to their rows
4. Independent Research Sheet of the Fertile Crescent
a. Ask students after the video is done to grab a laptop from our classroom cart
b. Have students log into their google classroom and pull up today’s module for
activity
c. Explain the instruction of the sheet
i. Each team will have 20 minutes to complete the sheet
ii. Working together and efficiently, students will click on the links to search
for search of answers in their sheet
iii. Sheet is in accordance to their links
iv. Explain that links are interactive which means student shave to do work
on the link to find the answers. EXP: interactive maps etc.
v. Put on the timer
vi. Explain that it might help to assign people responsibilities for each link
then teach their peers in their group
vii. Start the timer
1. Teacher will
a. Walk around and help groups
b. Walk around and regulate behavior or discussions as
needed
c. Will walk around to be available
d. Will test out links to make sure they work before class
starts.
d. At the end of the timer, call for groups attention and go through each question
on the sheet
e. Discuss openly the answers, ask other groups for observations, additional
answers and information, etc.
f. Max 5 minutes per questions (15 min max)
5. If time is left start the lecture: fertile crescent and civilizations
 a. Have students take out their Binder notes for this class
b. Review fertile crescent slides
c. Introduce the definition of civilizations
i. Open discussion on students’ definitions
ii. Discuss todays civilizations
d. Lecture till bell rings to continue next day
e. Stop on Sumerian Civilization topic
i. Next day should start on this subject
6. Exit ticket: student will turn in finished Fertile crescent sheet

Assessment: Bellinger, Worksheet/Exit Ticket, notes

Appendix:
 Fertile Crescent Worksheet Link:
https://www.tngeographicalliance.org/uploads/7/7/3/8/7738447/6grade_fertilecrescent.pdf
 Citations:
 Flood, A. (2019). TGA Lesson Plan Geography of the Fertile Crescent. Retrieved 3
October 2019, from
https://www.tngeographicalliance.org/uploads/7/7/3/8/7738447/6grade_fertilecrescen
t.pdf. Pages 3-4.
 Worksheet interactive Links:
 1.
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/imaps/AC_03_079_mesopotamia/A
C_03_079_mesopotamia.html
 2. http://ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu/eCUIP_CD-
SAMPLE/diglib/social/mideast/atlas/index.html
 3. http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/geography/explore/exp_set.html
 Youtube. (2016). The Fertile Crescent [Video]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wspk2OPdazU
 Slides